Question:
By mistake, an alcohol (boiling point 97°C) was mixed with a hydrocarbon (boiling point 68°C). Suggest a suitable method to separate the two compounds. Explain the reason for your choice.
Solution:
We can separate the mixture by steam distillation. Both alcohol and hydrocarbon don’t have much difference in the boiling point. Steam distillation is particularly used for the purification of temperature-sensitive material.